Mike Wilkinson: "[Mark] Bellhorn has been struggling, but with the rumored Shea Hillenbrand trade on the back burner, I really think Bellhorn needs to be out there getting significant at-bats everyday. I believe the best way to cure a slump is to hit out of it, not to 'take four or five days off and get his head straight.'" (Out in the Bleachers, May 1 entry)

Dan Sheetz: "Hillenbrand has Cubs chump written all over him. Questionable in the field. Very impatient with a bad OBP. Little power to speak of. Sounds like Bellhorn without the versatility, power, and OBP. Trading Cruz for this guy would be a big mistake. What happened to Mike Lowell? Is he still available?" (Dan's Cublog)

Josh Schulz: "Albert Pujols is injured. He can't throw. But there he is, roaming left, a moment of intensity away from blowing his elbow out and missing signifigant time. Or derailing his career. Or ending it. All it took was a three game sweep by the Braves, to put La Russa into this state. A complete panic that has led to the Cardinals putting their young star on very very thin ice. Remember Rick Ankiel? Remember La Russa's stealth game one starter act? Remember how that turned out?" (Go Cardinals, April 29 entry)

Prospectus Triple Play: Braves, Twins, Devil Rays. "Neglecting to play Bobby Kielty full-time, as either an outfielder or a DH, is kind of like hiring David Mamet to adapt a screenplay but only putting him in charge of the copy-editing." (Baseball Prospectus)

Paul Lukas: "The recent incidents in which fans tossed cell phones at Texas outfielder Carl Everett and San Diego third baseman Sean Burroughs got Uni Watch wondering if Everett or Burroughs might choose to join a very exclusive fraternity: players who've worn batting helmets while playing the field." (Village Voice)